Control mechanism for builder motion chain rewinder on spinning frame



June 13, 1967 o. E. A. EDLER ETAL 3,325,110

CONTRQL MECHANISM FOR BUILDER MOTION CHAIN REWINDER ON SPINNING FRAME 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 51, 1964 W If F I6, iv

INVENTORS.

OTTO E A. EDLER JOE K. GARRISON fl-VQQM ATTORNEY.

June 13, 1967 o. E. A. EDLER mm. 3 9

CONTROL MECHANISM FOR BUILDER MOTION CHAIN REWINDER OW SPINNING FRAME Filed Dec. 31, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 OTTO E. A EDLER JOE K. GARRISON ATTORNEY.

3,325,110 CONTROL MECHANISM FOR BUILDER MOTION CHAIN REWiNDER N SPINNING FRAME Otto E. A. Edler and Joe K. Garrison, Greenviile, S.C., assignors to Southern Machinery Company, Greer, S.C.,

a corporation of South Carolina Filed Dec. 31, 1964, Ser. No. 422,840 6 Claims. (Cl. 242-261) This invention relates broadly to improvements in textile spinning frames, and more particularly to improvements in mechanism for rewinding the builder motion chain of a spinning frame after the bobbins are fully built with yarn and the ring rail is lowered to a locked position for dofiing.

An automatic electromechanical device for rewinding the builder motion chain is disclosed in prior copending United States application Ser. No. 372,972, now Patent No. 3,270,972, filed June 5, 1964, for Apparatus for Rewinding Builder Chain of Spinning Machine, Otto E. A. Edler et al., and the subject matter of the present application constitutes an improvement on the construction in said prior application.

The builder chain rewinding device in said prior application is mounted upon the builder arm of the spinning frame and includes a chain winding and unwinding drum or pulley. During the building of bobbins in the normal manner, the drum is gradually turned in a direction to unwind the builder chain by conventional gearing and this driving is accomplished through the one-way active clutch which is locked or active in the direction necessary to cause chain unwinding during the bobbin building process. The clutch is free running in the reverse direction, or the direction necessary to rewind the chain on the drum. The mechanism of said prior application additionally incorporates a one-Way active brake device separate from and in addition to the clutch, which is free running in the direction necessary to allow builder chain unwinding and normally active in the reverse direction. Therefore, the brake device during the normal building of bobbins will resist rotation of the drum in the direction necessary to cause rewinding of the builder chain, and thus the brake device supplements the action of the one-way clutch in the system. There is also a spring in the mechanism which has increasing energy stored therein during the gradual unwinding of the builder chain and which therefore tends to rewind the chain on the drum or pulley at all times. During the bobbin building process, it is the brake device which resists this chain rewinding until such. time as the brake is released. Upon release of the brake, both the clutch and the brake are free running in the same direction necessary to effect automatic rewinding of the builder chain on the drum by said spring.

The above construction and mode of operation is fully described in said prior application SN. 372,972 and remains essentially the same in the mechanism of the pres ent application. However, in the prior application mechanism, electrical means including a solenoid are employed to cause the release of the brake device when the ring rail is at the dotiing position. In the present apparatus, a simplified mechanical means is employed to cause releasing of the brake device and the mechanical means may be actuated from a moving component of the spinning frame at the desired time. The results obtained by the use of the mechanical means to release the brake device are essentially the. same as with the electrical means, namely, that the builder motion chain is then automatically and rapidly rewound without the necessity of manual rewinding by means of the usual hand crank. The electrical means to release the one-way active brake device is advantageous when the chain rewinding mechanism is employed in cer- United States Patent 0 3 ,325,110 Patented June 13, 1967 tain completely automatic electromechanical automation systems for spinning frames, wherein the lowering of the ring rail after bobbin building and the locking thereof in the doffing position is all done automatically along with certain other operations. The present invention employing a simplified mechanical release of the mentioned brake device is advantageous in certain installations of the chain rewinding mechanism on spinning frames which are not full automated electrically, and where it may not be convenient or economical to employ the electrical brake release means of said prior application. In general, the provision of the mechanical brake release forming the subject matter of this invention increases the utility of the builder chain rewinding mechanism and renders more flexible its adaptations or uses on spinning frames. The above, therefore, summarizes the objectives and purposes of the present invention over the prior art and over the aforementioned patent application. In like manner, the objects and advantages of the chain rewinding mechanism in general remain the same as specified in said prior application and need not be repeated herein.

Other specific objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following detailed description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary and partly diagrammatic front elevation of the spinning frame and illustrating the invention mechanism thereon,

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged side elevational view of the chain rewinding mechanism including the mechanical brake release mechanism, partly broken away and parts in section,

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal section. taken on line 3-3 of FIGURE 2,

FIGURE 4 is a vertical section taken on line 44 of FIGURE 2, and

FIGURE 5 is a vertical section on a. reduced scale taken on line 5-5 of FIGURE 2.

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral It designates a spinning frame head end, upon which is rigidly mounted one end of a fixed horizontal spindle rail 11' supporting a plurality of conventionally driven vertical spindles 12 having bob-bins 13 mounted thereon. The spinning frame further comprises the usual vertically movable ring rail 14 to traverse the bobbins 13 in a well known manner. The ring rail is shown in the fully lowered bobbin dofiing position in FIGURE 1. The ring rail 14 is bodily carried by a plurality of vertically shiftable lifter rods 15, only one of which is shown in the drawings for the purpose of simplicity. Each lifter rod 15 has a bottom foot or follower 16 rigid therewith engaged by a roller 17 journaled on a vertically swingable counterweighted lifter arm 18. Each lifter arm 18 is mounted upon a rocker shaft 19 extending at right angles to the spindle rail 11, and supported in a conventional manner. Rigid with each lifter arm 18 is an arcuate guadrant 20 to which is attached at 21 one end of a flexible builder chain 22, which chain is trained over a guide pulley 23 which is a conventional component of the spinning frame. All of the above construction is conventional and need not be illustrated or described in further detail.

The builder chain 22 extends downwardly from guide pulley 23, FIGURE 1, and is connected with chain winding and unwinding drum or pulley 24 in the exact manner described in said prior application.

i The spinning frame further comprises a conventional builder motion 25 actuated in a well known manner by a cam 26 drivenfrom the spinning frame head end 10..

described in said prior application, is bodily mounted upon builder arm 28, FIGURE 5, which arm carries a.

fixed shaft 29, having rotatably mounted thereon a bush ing 30, carrying a worm gear 31, driven by a worm, not shown, forming a part of the conventional builder motion 25. This arrangement is fully described in the mentioned prior application. The aforementioned chain winding and unwinding drum 24, FIGURE 5, is mounted upon a one-way active clutch 32 which in turn is carried by the bushing 30. As explained in said application, the clutch 32 is active in the direction to allow driving of the drum 24 by worm gear 31 to cause unwinding of the chain 22 from drum 24 during the normal building of bobbins. The clutch 32 is free running in the reverse direction. However, reverse rotation of the drum 24 during bobbin. building is resisted by a roller brake mechanism including a race plate 33 splined at 34 to the fixed shaft 29. The brake mechanism is one-way active or engaging and includes a movable cage 35 having a constraining action on rollers 36 which rollingly engage a cylindrical bore 37 on the inside of drum 24. This brake is active in the direction to resist reverse rotation of the drum 24 during normal bobbin building but is free running in the direction to allow turning of the drum through the clutch 32 for unwinding the chain 22 during normal bobbin buildin Again, all of this is fully disclosed in said prior application and need not be dealt with in further detail herein.

The mechanism 27 further includes a chain rewinding spring 38 which has increased energy stores therein during unwinding of the chain 22, the spring tending to rewind the chain on the drum 24. One end of the spring 38 is fixed to the drum 24 and its opposite end is fixed to the splined race plate 33, FIGURE 5. The mechanism 27 further comprises an end cover plate 39 rigid with the race plate 33 and therefore stationary with the shaft 29.. An adjustable stop 40 on the cover plate 39 coacts with a stop lug 41 on the rotaable drum 24 to limit the rewinding movement of the drum so that upon chain rewinding the mechanism 27 will be properly preconditioned for the next bobbin building cycle of operation in the spinning frame. Again, this mode of operation and construction is described in said prior application S.N. 372,- 972.

The mechanical means for effecting release of the brake mechanism at the required time and taking the place of the corresponding electrical means in said application is shown particularly in FIGURES 2, 3 and 4. This mechanical means comprises a box-like housing 42 adapted to be secured either to the floor, as shown in the drawings, or to a vertical supporting surface or bracket on the spinning frame. To facilitate mounting the housing 42 in various positions, the same is provided in its side faces, back and bottom with preferably screw-threaded openings 43. It might be mentioned here that the housing 42 is shown somewhat diagrammatically in FIGURE 1 turned ninety degrees relative to the mechanism 27 for clarity of illustration. FIGURE 2 shows the true relationship of the housing 42 to the chain rewinding mechanism 27 and the swingable lifter arm 18 and associated elements. However, as stated, the housing 42 may be positioned in a variety of ways to operate in conjunction with the mechanism 27 and FIGURE 2 is illustrative only in this connection.

A stud or pin 44 is fixedly secured to the back wall of housing 42, as shown, and an upper vertically swingable lever 45 is pivotally mounted upon the stud 44 within the housing. The upper lever 45 carries an adjusting screw 46 extending at right angles thereto and near the free end thereof.

A shaft 47 is rockably mounted upon the housing 42 near the bottom thereof and spaced diagonally from the pin 44. The shaft 47 extends on opposite sides of the easing back wall 48 as shown clearly in FIGURE 3, so that a portion of the shaft is outside of housing 42 and another portion therein. A lower inclined lever 49 within the housing 42 is fast on the rocker shaft 47 and extends beneath the upper lever and has an upstanding bifurcated end whose sides 50 straddle the upper lever and are connected therewith by a cross pin 51 which engages through a slot 52 of the upper lever to allow the necessary relative movement between the two levers.

An expansible coil spring 53 has its upper end enga ing a centering seat 54, formed as an extension on the upper lever and its lower end engages a like centering seat 55 formed on the lower lever hub directly over the axis of rocker shaft 47.

An elongated inclined actuating lever or arm 56 is securely clamped as at 57 to the rocker shaft 47 adjacent to the housing back wall 48 and outside of the housing. The actuating lever 56 has an upturned preferably rounded extension 58 adapted to underlie a foot pedal extension 59, FIGURES 1 and 2, on the pivoted lifter arm 18. The housing 42 may be adjusted on the floor or on any other type of support employed so that the lever 56 will properly engage the pedal extension 59, as shown, or any movable component of the spinning frame affecting ring rail lowering. It will be understood that the rocker shaft 47 and the two levers 49 and 56 constitute a rigid unit. The spring 53 serves to bias the upper lever 45 upwardly at all times and through the connection at 51 the lower lever 49 and the actuating lever 56 are also biased upwardly by the spring 53 to normal elevated positions as shown particularly in FIGURE 2.

The invention further comprises a flexible cable 60 or Bowden wire extending between the chain rewinding mechanism 27 and the housing 42, as shown in the drawings. The length of this cable may be varied depending upon installation requirements. One end of the cable sheath 61 is anchored to the top of housing 42 by a foot plate 62 secured to the housing at 63. The opposite end of the cable sheath is anchored by a like foot plate 64 to an upwardly projecting extension 65 of mechanism 27. The extension 65 is preferably an integral part of stationary cover plate 39 as shown clearly in FIGURE 2 and fully described in said prior application. The foot plate 64 is anchored to the top of extension 65 as by screw 66. As

7 shown in FIGURE 2, the cover plate 39 is preferably secured to the race plate 33 of the one-way active brake device, by a plurality of screws 67.

One terminal end of cable 60 extends through a central axial bore of adjusting screw 46 and has a ball head or terminal 68 at the extreme end thereof adapted to bear against a recess seat in the end of the screw 46. The cable 60 extends movable through the screw 46 and through the top wall of housing 42 and through the two anchor plates 62 and 64 as shown in FIGURE 2. The other extreme end of cable 60 has a ball terminal 69 secured thereto and seated within the top portion of an internally screwthreaded adapter 7i) which has screw-threaded adjustable engagement with an upstanding link 71 within the mechanism 27. As fully described in said prior application, the bottom of link 71 is pivoted at 72 to a brake release lever 73, in turn pivoted at 74 to the stationary race plate 33. The brake release lever 73 has an extension 75 which bears against a projection 76 on the movable cage 35 of the aforementioned roller brake device. As explained in said prior application, the brake release lever 73 must be turned upon its pivot 74 in a clockwise manner, FIGURE 2, to release the rollers 36 from wedging engagement with the bore 37 of drum 24. When this occurs, the brake device is released so that the drum 24 may turn under influence of spring 38 to rewind the builder chain 22. When there is no force on the release lever 73 tending to turn the same clockwise, FIGURE 2, the rollers 36 are wedged between the bore 37 of the drum and fiat faces on the race plate 33 and the brake device is active and will resist rotation of the drum 24 in the direction causing chain rewinding.

A lock nut 77 is preferably provided on the threaded link 71 to secure the adapter 70 in the proper adjusted position. An expansible coil spring 78 has its upper end bearing against anchor plate 64 and its lower end engaging adapter 70, as shown in FIGURE 2. This spring constantly biases the link 70 and release lever 73 in a direction for maintaining the brake device active in the mechanism 27 until such time as its release is desired. As shown in FIG- URE 3, there is preferably a locking set screw 79 on the upper lever 45 to lock the adjusting screw 46 in the proper adjusted position.

The mode of operation of the mechanism 27 is substantially identical to the operation fully described in application S.N. 372,972 and need not be repeated in full detail. When the ring rail 14 is traversing the bobbins 13 and gradually rising to build the bobbins with yarn, the worm gear 31 of the builder motion is gradually driving the drum 24 through the active clutch 32 to allow proper unwinding of the chain 22 from the drum or pulley 24. The brake device including race plate 33 and roller cage 35 and associated parts is free or inactive to allow chain unwinding but is active to prevent chain rewinding on the drum 24 as previously explained. As the chain 22 thus unwinds from the drum 24, the counterweighted lifter arm 18 raises the ring rail 14 through the rod 15.

When the bobbins are completely built and the ring rail 14 is near the tops of the bobbins, an attendant steps upon the pedal extension 59 of lifter arm 18 and swings the arm to the approximate position shown in FIGURE 1 and this brings the ring rail to a fully lowered position where it is locked releasably prior to the bobbin dofiing operation, and the power to the spinning frame is shut off at this point. At this time it has been customary in the prior art to rewind the builder chain 22 manually with a hand crank inserted in the wrench opening 80, FIGURE 1, of the builder motion 25. The mechanism of said prior application provides for the automatic rewinding of the chain 22 through action initiated by electrical solenoid means to set the mechanism 27 into motion.

In the present invention, instead of utilizing this electrical means, the attendant or doffer, after the spinning frame has been dotted, will step on the pedal extension 59 and move the same downward an additional small distance, usually about of an inch. This incidentally will unlock the ring rail 14 so that the spinning frame is ready for the next bobbin building cycle. Simultaneously, the actuating lever or arm 56 is depressed by the pedal extension 59 as shown in FIGURE 1, or by any movable component aifecting ring rail lowering, and the rocker shaft 47 is turned and this causes the lower lever 49 to move counter-clockwise, FIGURE 2, and through its connection with the upper lever 45 at 51, etc., the upper lever is also pulled downwardly and turns on the pivot pin 44 and somewhat compresses the spring 53. This action pulls the cable 60 longitudinally in a direction causing elevation of the adapter 70 in mechanism 27 against the force of spring 78. Simultaneously, the link 71 is pulled upwardly and the brake release lever 73 is turned to shift the roller cage 35 and cause release of the brake device as fully described in said prior application. When the brake device is thus released, the spring 38 of the chain rewinding mechanism 27 is free to quickly cause reverse rotation of the drum 24 and the complete and automatic rewinding of the chain 22 thereon, which rewinding ceases automatically when the lug 41 of drum 24 engages the stop 40 of relatively stationary cover plate 39. This feature of the mechanism is fully described in said prior application.

When the builder chain 22 is fully rewound on the drum 24 responsive to depressing the actuator lever 56, the foot is removed from pedal extension 59 and the spring 53 will again expand and return the lever 56 and associated parts on housing 42 to the original normal position shown in FIGURE 2, as explained previously.

The spring 78 which is also compressed during the brake release operation will now expand and return the link 71 and brake release lever 73 to their positions which render the roller brake device active to lock the drum 24 against reverse rotation during subsequent builder chain unwinding.

The ratio of the lever arrangement including levers 45, 49 and 56 is so chosen that the movements of cable terminals 68 and 69 and the free end 58 of lever 56 are identical. When installing the invention, the housing 42 is initially located properly relative to the foot pedal extension 59 or any movable component alfecting ring rail lowering and secured rigidly in place. Final adjustments are made, principally with the screw 46 and adapter 70 and the device is ready to operate.

It is to be understood that the form of the invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. A device to effect the release of a releasable brake means in a builder chain rewinding mechanism, said releasable brake means including a linkage part to be pulled for effecting said release, said device comprising a housing adapted to be anchored fixedly, a rocker shaft on the housing, a relatively long actuating lever on the rocker shaft and extending in the path of movement of a mechanical part of a spinning frame upon which said chain rewinding mechanism is mounted, a relatively short lower lever in said housing on said rocker shaft, a fixed pivot element on the housing and spaced from the rocker shaft, an upper lever having one end pivoted to the pivot element and extending reversely to the lower lever, means forming a movable connection between the upper and lower levers and intermediate the ends of the upper lever, a spring engaging the upper lever and tending to raise it, whereby the lower lever and said actuating lever are also raised, a pull cable extending between said chain rewinding mechanism and said device, an adjustable coupling connecting one end of the cable to said linkage part, and an adjusting member secured to the other end of the cable and connected adjustably to said upper lever.

2. The invention as defined by claim 1, and wherein said adjusting member is an adjusting screw having screwthreaded engagement within a screw-threaded opening of the upper lever and extending substantially at right angles thereto, said screw having a bore receiving an end portion of said cable, and a terminal element on said end portion of .the cable engaging an end of the adjusting screw.

3. The invention as defined by claim 2, and wherein said adjustable coupling comprises an adapter having screw-threaded engagement with said linkage part and secured to one end of said cable, and a spring engaging said adapter and urging it and the linkage part in a direction tending to maintain said releasable brake means active.

4. For use on a spinning frame, a builder motion chain rewinding mechanism having a one-way active releasable brake and a movable control link for said brake and a relatively stationary supporting part, an operating unit for said control link comprising a housing remote from the chain rewinding mechanism and adapted to be fixedly mounted, a flexible cable assembly interconnecting said housing and relatively stationary supporting part including a tubular sheathing having ends anchored to the housing and supporting part and an internal cable movable longitudinally through the sheathing, means forming an adjustable coupling between one end of the movable cable and said control link, a movable operating linkage on said housing including an element in the path of movement of a spinning frame part, and means forming an adjustable connection between said movable cable and said movable operating linkage.

5. In combination, an automatic builder chain rewinding mechanism for a spinning frame and a mechanical control unit for said rewinding mechanism operatively connected therewith, said control unit comprising a supporting member fixedly mounted in spaced relation to said chain rewinding mechanism and near a moving part of the spinning frame, a movable mechanical linkage on the supporting member including a pivoted actuating lever extending in the path of movement of said moving part of the spinning frame, said chain rewinding mechanism including an actuating link, a flexible control element secured to said movable linkage and extending away from the supporting member, and means forming a resilient adjustable connection between said actuating link and said 10 flexible control element.

6. The invention as defined by claim 5, and an adjusting element connected with said flexible control element and having an adjustable connection with said movable mechanical linkage on said supporting member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 900,592 10/1908 Rhoades 242-26 3,270,972 9/1966 Edler et al. 242--26 STANLEY N. GILREAT'H, Primary Examiner. 

1. A DEVICE TO EFFECT THE RELEASE OF A RELEASABLE BRAKE MEANS IN A BUILDER CHAIN REWINDING MECHANISM, SAID RELEASABLE BRAKE MEANS INCLUDING A LINKAGE PART TO BE PULLED FOR EFFECTING SAID RELEASE, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING A HOUSING ADAPTED TO BE ANCHORED FIXEDLY, A ROCKER SHAFT ON THE HOUSING, A RELATIVELY LONG ACTUATING LEVER ON THE ROCKER SHAFT AND EXTENDING IN THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF A MECHANICAL PART OF A SPINNING FRAME UPON WHICH SAID CHAIN REWINDING MECHANISM IS MOUNTED, A RELATIVELY SHORT LOWER LEVER IN SAID HOUSING ON SAID ROCKER SHAFT, A FIXED PIVOT ELEMENT ON THE HOUSING AND SPACED FROM THE ROCKER SHAFT, AN UPPER LEVER HAVING ONE END PIVOTED TO THE PIVOT ELEMENT AND EXTENDING REVERSELY TO THE LOWER LEVER, MEANS FORMING A MOVABLE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE UPPER AND LOWER LEVERS AND INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS OF THE UPPER LEVER, A SPRING ENGAGING THE UPPER LEVER AND TENDING TO RAISE IT, WHEREBY THE LOWER LEVER AND SAID ACUTATING LEVER ARE ALSO RAISED, A PULL CABLE EXTENDED BETWEEN SAID CHAIN REWINDING MECHANISM AND SAID DEVICE, AN ADJUSTABLE COUPLING CONNECTING ONE END OF THE CABLE TO SAID LINKAGE PART, AND AN ADJUSTING MEMBER SECURED TO THE OTHER END OF THE CABLE AND CONNECTED ADJUSTABLY TO SAID UPPER LEVER. 